The Traitor's Tale
by AnarchyWriter
Summary: Flesh is frail Bones are brittle, But you will forever burn. A criminal is branded with the Dark sign, and to be sent off to prison. However, Fate has other plans for him and he washes up on the shore of a strange new land.


The Great Ship surged forth across the Black Seas, large and black, from the Kingdom of Letirian, a great prison ship, it's hull filled with cells, containing criminals, Prisoners and slaves.

In one of those Cells, was Rellick.

Rellick was clad in the wool jacket and pants of a prisoner, his hands were in manacles, chained to the bench he was sitting on, a marker on the bars of his cell read his name, and crimes. Murder, Assault, Cowardice, Treason. Rellick had heard all of those, said by people who were unaware of what was was like, he was a soldier, and he was a monster. He tried to leave that behind, and now?

He was a criminal.

Just perfect. Now, he at least could look forward to being either sold into slavery, or rotting in a cell in some prison, or getting crucified. The glory of fighting for his kingdom be fucking damned.

"What are they going to do with us?" Rellick turned, brushing his long greasy, brown hair out of his face, his face was distorted by the brand covering half of it; The mark of a soldier that ran away form the enemy. The speaker was a bald, chubby looking man, clearly a political prisoner. Rellick groaned, he had been on this ship for a week and this lard ass was asking him for the twentieth time.

"I said it once. I said it twice, I said it every day! Alright? Shut up!"

"I-I'm a duke-"

"_What do Dukes even do!?" _Rellick snapped,

"Hey! Quiet you two!" The man in armor said, knocking on the bars. Rellick could see his keys in the light of the lantern he held, which, come to think of it, was the only light in the cell block. If only he wasn't chained so he couldn't even reach the door. The guard muttered something, before going back to his post near the door.

Which was promptly blown off it's hinges.

Before Rellick could fully comprehend what was happening, black, cold water surged in through the hole, slamming him against the unforgiven wooden walls of the hull, the ship listed, as the water slowly engulfed the hull, drowning out the screams of the unlucky trapped.

Rellick's barely had enough time to get a gulp of air, He quickly took a brief second, composing himself-panic would make him lose air faster. He twisted, forcing his boots against the back of the bench, grabbing the chains where they met the wall, and _pulled._

_Rellick stood in a room, a hut, a fireplace, an oven in the corner, the walls were made of wood, the roof thatched...A woman sat at a spindle, weaving something. Her fingers were long and spindly._

_"Flesh, is frail. Tearing like paper," She said to him, her face obscured by the reed hood. Rellick couldn't speak, he was still in shock. "Bone, is brittle. Breaking like twigs under boots." She continued, "Minds, are fragile. Shattering like glass."_

_"Who are you?" Rellick demanded, was this the afterlife?_

_"This, is no afterlife. You are banished from death." The woman said,_

_"What does that mean?" The woman stopped spindling, and sighed. _

_"The brand on your face, is a curse. You shall never rest, you shall never get the joy of death." She removed her hood, staring at him. She was filthy, with milky white eyes. "And you will forever burn."_

Rellick rolled onto his back, every fiber of his being _ached. _He was lying on a beach, it was the early morning, the sun was barely giving any light. He rolled onto his front, vomiting up at least a gallon of sea water. He got up onto his knees, the beach was littered with wreckage, in front of him was a massive cliff, which seemed to go on for at least a mile, seeing no better option, he stood up. Brushing the sand off of his soaking shirt, by accounts, he should have been freezing having been soaked in the freezing sea, but, yet, he only felt a slight chilled. He stood up, and made his way to the biggest pile of wreckage, his the chains on his wrists dragging behind him-Those would definitely have to go.

He came to the wreckage, and was immediately happy. There, on the ground was a dead soldier, clearly a lookout, clad in a dark cloak, on his belt, was a pistol, a keyring, and a longsword. Muttering a thanks, Rellick quickly removed the man's belt and cloak, the tunic he wore looked two small; He stood up, looking out at the ocean.

The first thing he took was the keys, and after a few moments of fumbling, managed to find the key to his manacles. The second, he took was the pistol. Double barreled, along with a pouch full of ball. All the powder was soaked, but the gun would be useful for intimidation. The Longsword, was a useful weapon, unfortunately, this Knight didn't have any coin-Damn shame.

Taking the belt, and the man's cloak. He turned, walking down the beach, until he came to what he was looking for. The great cliff had ended, revealing a steep path-_Better than nothing. _Rellick thought grimly.

After half an hour of climbing, Rellick turned, glancing over the Black sea and looking at what lied before him, a dark forest, a path cutting through it. Seeing nothing else but cliffs, Rellick kept walking.

After an hour, he came to a fire pit, embers glowing in the darkness. Well, someone else had been here early. That was a good sign. He held out his hand to the embers only to recoil as the fire blazed brightly, warmth filling his body.

"Welcome..." A voice, hoarse from disuse and raspy, like rocks grinding against one another. Rellick immediately stood, pistol drawn, at the edge of the fire was a man, naked and emaciated, he was crucified on a mangy, wooden crucifix. Rellick scowled, completely shocked that he didn't notice something like _this. _

"Who are you?"

"I, am the king of this sanctuary. Keeper of this Fire." The man grinned welcomingly, revealing rotten yellow teeth and black gums. Rellick looked at him.

"Who crucified you?" He asked, holstering his pistol, this man was not going to be any sort of threat.

"I do not remember, I merely tend to the flames. They draw us, the fire."

"_Us?" _Rellick asked pointedly.

"Undead. The flame warms up, lights the way."

"The way to what?" The Firekeeper shrugged, or, did what could be called a shrug.

"Future. _Souls._"

"Souls?" Rellick raised an eyebrow.

"Souls, they nurture us, strengthen us, keep the madness at bay...I merely offer sanctuary." Rellick sighed, running a hand through his hair. This mad man was speaking in riddles.

"Where am I?" The crucified man looked at him.

"Lost. That is the way of undead. We shall forever burn." That sentence triggered something, Rellick looked at him.

"What did you say?" He asked, wanting to double check.

"We shall forever burn?" He laughed, a loud hacking sound. "Our flesh is frail, our bones our brittle, our minds are fragile. We forever burn." Rellick stared at him.

"Where did y-"

"It is merely the truth. Continue on, and burn." Rellick stood up, sick of the man's nonsense. He was merely insane with pain.

"What's further down the path?" He asked, Breaking a branch off the tree and dipping it into the fire.

"The old fort. A cursed place."

A fort. Ammo, powder, armor...The branch ignited, and Rellick walked into the darkness, torch and sword in hand, He drew the hood of his cloak upward, and continued to walk, his boots splashing in the muddy path.


End file.
